About this Mildura rural fencing referral site

What this site is

This site is a rural fencing referral service for Mildura, Sunraysia and Wentworth Shire. It connects farm owners, vineyard and orchard growers, horse owners and lifestyle block owners with local fencing contractors. When an enquiry arrives, it is passed to a contractor who works in the area. The site itself does not build fences. It does not supply posts or wire, run a crew, inspect a fence, quote a price or sign a contract. It explains what the job involves, which rules apply on which side of the Murray and what to ask, and then hands the enquiry over.

The contractor does the work, and the contractor is responsible for holding any licence or registration that applies to it. That wording matters, and it is deliberate. The regulator pages we found do not say whether farm, stock, vineyard or exclusion fencing needs a licence or registration, in either state, so this site makes no claim either way. Licensing depends on the value and type of work. Ask the contractor which licence or registration they hold, check it with the regulator for the side of the Murray where the fence is, and ask the regulator if you are unsure. The licensing page sets out what the pages do say and where they stop.

Why there is so much about rules

Buying a rural fence looks simple and turns out to involve rules most people meet once. The Murray is the state border, so the boundary fence law is different on each side. The Victorian side of the Murray is under the Fences Act 1968, and the New South Wales side of the Murray is under the Dividing Fences Act 1991. The two have different waiting periods, forums and Crown land rules. Near the river, flood overlays and Crown water frontages come in as well, which is the subject of the Murray page.

The rules are scattered across regulators, councils, legislation sites and catchment bodies. The pages here put them in one place in plain words, with a link to the source wherever a rule or a figure is stated, so you arrive at the first conversation knowing which questions to ask.

How the rule pages are written

• Everything is dated. Each page that describes a rule carries the month it was written and an as-of line. Thresholds and forms change, so check the source before you rely on a page.
• The source is linked. Legislation, regulator, council and catchment authority pages come first. Secondary sources, such as an encyclopedia article, are labelled as secondary, and news items as news.
• Each side of the Murray is stated separately. A rule is given for the Victorian side or for the New South Wales side, with its own source. The two Acts are never merged into one sentence.
• Old documents and other regions' guidance are labelled. A dated Total Fire Ban brochure is called old, and flood fencing guidelines from other regions are used as illustrations only.
• Nothing here is legal advice.

Gaps, said out loud

Some questions have no answer in the sources we could read, and the pages say so instead of filling the gap. We found nothing that says what either boundary Act does for a fence along or across the river, or between a Victorian owner and a New South Wales owner. Victorian and New South Wales survey agencies agreed the precise line of the border at Mildura in September 2022, with formal survey and marking still to follow, and that is as far as the sources go.

We did not establish whether a particular block on the New South Wales side is Western Lands. We found no statement about fencing the channel reserves of Lower Murray Water channels. We found no Australian horse fencing guide, no emu fence specification and no source showing kangaroo or emu damage in Sunraysia. Each gap is flagged where it comes up, and each is a good question for the regulator, the council or the contractor.

What you will not find here

• No reviews or star ratings.
• No gallery of past jobs. Photographs on this site are illustrative only and do not depict specific jobs.
• No price list. Length, ground, access and the type of fence move the number, so the cost guide explains the factors and what a written quote should itemise instead.
• No directory of contractors. Your enquiry goes to a contractor who works in your area.
• No claim that a rule does not apply to you. The pages tell you who decides.

What to expect when you make contact

1. You give the town, which side of the Murray the fence is on, what it must hold or keep out, a rough length and a photo of the fence line.
2. The enquiry is passed to a local contractor who works in that area.
3. The contractor comes back with questions about the ground, the access, the neighbour and any permits.
4. A written quote follows. Ask for it itemised, and ask which licence or registration the contractor holds.

Where the site covers

Mildura, VIC, Merbein, VIC, Red Cliffs, VIC, Irymple, VIC, Nichols Point, VIC, Cardross, VIC, Robinvale, VIC, Ouyen, VIC, Buronga, NSW, Gol Gol, NSW, Dareton, NSW, Wentworth, NSW and Euston, NSW, along with the farms, blocks and localities around them. Mildura and Buronga are one urban area on either side of the river, which is why the pages keep stating the side.